H for Holidays with Infants

Two months into motherhood and I was ready for a holiday. But, ask any mother and they will tell you that just the thought of packing for a holiday and the dread that you will forget some essential thing has us so scared that sadly many of us never dare to take this much needed break.

When I say holiday I am not referring to a fortnight of sightseeing in Paris or even a week in a safari (sadly, the latter is not recommended until baby is atleast 6!). I can’t even wrap my head around the kind of logistical planning those would require. What I am talking about is just a quick 2 or 3 day break away from the usual environment to recharge your batteries.

Now, there are blog posts galore on the ‘essentials’ you need to pack for such a trip. – diapers, medicines and clothes being the top three. But, after having been on four weekends away before M completes 7 months below is a light-hearted take on a three other essentials you could consider taking along with you.

A mom

Your mom, a grandmother, your mother in law or even a friends mom – any one will do. I’ll explain why. You see, helpful as husbands are they will often want some me-time of their own or they may even want *gasp* couple time where you are expected to activity engage. Here, having a mom is indispensable as they know their way around a child and will happily take yours off your hand for atleast an hour or two. This way, you can take in that beautiful sunrise, soak in the tub or even indulge in reading your book for longer than five sentences. Or ofcourse, stay in bed longer with hubby without having a mini human digging their arms and legs into your backs. Importantly, having a mom with you on holiday means you won’t be stuck with all the baby chores all the time and end up needing a holiday after your holiday.

P.S. If a mom isn’t handy a single preferably female friend works too.

A vessel for your baby

A sling, wrap, SSC, pram, rocker or car seat. Consider taking atleast one but ideally two out of the above. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you are just going to be relaxing in the hotel or that you will be free to constantly playing with baby or that you won’t be exercising and hence don’t require these. If you are the type that likes sunset walks on the beach an SSC will be invaluable. Alternatively, if you simply want to spend time hogging the hotel breakfast then a rocker or pram means the baby doesn’t need to be in your lap the whole time. We went on a trip without any such vessel, as I like to call them (we only had a non-detachable car seat) and we all just got very irritated with each other by the end of the trip as there never was a moment when our hands were completely free.

Empty wet wipe packets/cardboard boxes/bottles

You don’t really need to pack this but I strongly recommend not throwing away any small cardboard boxes, wet wipe packets or plastic bottles you accumulate on your road trip or journey. For some unfathomable reason kids ignore all colourful toys meant to improve their fine motor skills in exchange for an empty wet wipe packet or bottle. Perhaps it’s the crinkle of the plastic or these wet wipe manufacturers are sneakily coating the packet with breast milk that only infants can taste but on our recent trip my entire pile of toys was ignored while the two infants were busy pulling the lone bottle between them. They had so much fun with the wet wipe packet that I actually packed it in my purse for the road trip home!

Have you been on many holidays with your child? What’s the one thing you absolutely must pack?

This post is part of the #AtoZChallemge where I attempt to write a post daily with a new alphabet. Do follow the hashtag for other posts in the series.